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Guys,

I recently started shooting 16 gauge and based on experience with 12 gauge Remington game loads was stocking up on them in 16 to shoot and then reload.

Well, I just got back from My first trap shoot (gotta be careful how you say that Very Happy

) and am rather underwhelmed by the look of the hulls. I'd guess I MIGHT get one maybe two more loads out of them, or less, as some of the hulls already split on the first firing Sad

So my question is which has the longest life for loading/reloading Cheddite or Fiocchi? Easiest to get decent/good crimps on the first load? Any other hulls you'd recommend? Or???

Thanks for your time.

Roi

Joined: 03 Feb 2008 Posts: 830 Location: Adirondak Mtns

I use cheddite and federal. The Rem do often split especially when cold. No Experience with reloading the Fio.

Joe

Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 1460 Location: Eagle, Nebraska

I like the cheddites. Seem to get a bit more use out of them then Fiocchi, but in most respects, they are pretty equal. And readily available. Both roll crimp easily, but the cheddite seems to "keep" its crimp better longer than the Fiocchi.

I am going to start using the Fed hulls too, thanks to this forum. Haven't loaded them previously, mainly due to lack of data.

I don't buy remington ammunition. (don't own a remington gun either)
Just my opinion of course, but their ammo just plain sucks. Only shot one box of 16ga Rems through my Citori, shooting rocks behind the house, had to go to wally world to buy shells, all they had were some Rems, two or three didn't even go off. Never liked Remington.

I usually buy Federal ammo, sometimes, Fiocchi Golden pheasant.
Winchester sparingly. Remington, never.

Kent loads are good also. I haven't shot the Rio ammo either.

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 1545 Location: Michigan

Hootch, your Citori is probably the reason the Remington shells didn't go bang. Laughing

Joined: 07 Oct 2008 Posts: 74 Location: MO Ozarks

I think I'm going to pretty much stick to Federals for now. They seem to reload well for me and function (eject!) well from my old M12.

The Fiocchi's I've loaded have worked ok for me, but the Fed's seem better. Besides, I like the purple hull.

I've only loaded 1 box of Rem's, but they seemed OK also.

I'm really looking forward to Charles getting his new endevor going. Based on the time it took for the new wads, it may be 2 - 3 years, but it will be great to have a viable alternative to the crap that's out there now.

Joined: 31 Dec 2008 Posts: 354

Any one use Winchester AA hulls for reloading ?

.

Member Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 1975

Joined: 31 Dec 2008 Posts: 354

My only experience with AA is with 12 gauge. Know the AA used to be very popular with trap shooters.

Was hoping that AA hulls were available for the 16 gauge, but I am guessing from your response that it is not.

.

The most recent lots of the Remington GL load are not as good as the older ones. As you have discovered, the shell mouths split and the primers are too hard for some guns to fire consistantly.

Don't blame the Citori for this. The gun does not seem to have the same trouble with other brands of ammo nor did it have any problems with older Remington GL loads. Reloads assembled in the older GL hulls with any other standard 209 primer do not pose problems in my own loads or any of my Citori models either. I 've used a number of different standard strength primers without one failure to fire. Those primers have included older Remington 209, Premier, and STS primers, older Winchester 209 primers, older Federal 209 primers, and the newest CCI 209 primers as well. Many other folks have posted similar results here. Blaming the gun is putting the cart before the horse IMO.

The Citori is designed to reliably fire all ammunition or primers that conform with SAAMI guidelines. The primers in the latest lots of GL ammo from Remington apparently do not fall inside those SAAMI guidelines. They are apparently, a bit too hard. The problem is not limited only to 16 gauge ammo either. There have been failures to fire in other guns including an LT-20 Reminton autoloader and some different 12 gauge guns.

It could be that Remington has been buying primers and other componants from offshore sources. Foreign companies may not be recognising or adhering to SAAMI guidelines for rectreational ammo or componants. Perhaps Remington should have considered this possibility before contracting with these other sources. Saving money is important, but avoiding problems is too.

I'd stop buying Remington GL loads until Remington corrects their mistake and improves the hull as well. Who needs the trouble. Why give them a pass on it or reward them with your business until they straighten themselves out. There are other more reliable brands of ammo available at this time.

Member Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 26 Location: Out West

I have had great luck with cheddite hulls. I get the wads and hulls from Ballistic Products, I just hunt and only occassionally shoot clays. 1 oz of 7's is great for chukars, huns and quail and 1 oz of 5's for pheasant. I keep it simple and it works real nice for me. I use the blue hulls for #7 and green hulls for #5. But reloading as you see, is the only way to go when you own a 16.
Chris Preston

Member Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 115 Location: Michigan

I have been reloading 16 ga for hunting for the last 10 years and, in the beginning, had some of the Win hulls for reloading - no longer have them available. After that, was the "dark ages", in which I could not find decent hulls/wads for decent reloads - eqivalent to what I could get for reloading 28 ga and 12 ga shells. The claybuster WAA wads have taken care of half of the problem. I have been reloading Fiocchi hulls and they are ok, but they do not hold up or recrimp as well as the 12 ga Rem STS hulls that I use for trapshooting or the 28 ga Win HS hulls that I use for skeet shooting. Between the Claybuster Win AA wad and the new Downrange wad that Charles has been working on, half of our reloading problem looks to be solved. Now, if we could get target shooting quality 16 hulls life would be so much better!

Keith

The new Winchester HS shells are polyformed with a tougher plastic tube. They would be a perfect candidate for a new 16 ga AA HS shell. Perhaps it is time to start knocking on Olin's door again. Maybe some one will be home now.

Member Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 115 Location: Michigan

Guest

Keith,

Here's how to get that done. EVERYONE (not just 16 ga.com members) that owns 16 gauge needs to shoot 5,000 to 10,000 rounds of FACTORY ammo for the next 3 - 5years. Forget reloading components, the big boys don't care how much we reload.

Then maybe the factories will listen.

We just don't shoot enough new 16 gauge ammunition for companies to make new components. You really can't blame them. They are in business to make money, not support a small faction. These guys are into profits, and the bottom line needs to be black ink, when the share holders meet.

We are just a PITA to them at present levels of participation.

Member Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 115 Location: Michigan

dc37 - Guess that I won't throw away my Fiocchi hulls anytime soon!

Keith